By Anthony Adongo Apubeo
Bolgatanga, Aug 10, GNA – Mr Hilary Abii Asiah, the Director of Holy Family Educational Foundation, has advocated learner centred and activity based approach to Ghana education system to produce the required human resources to solve contemporary societal problems.
According to him, it was time for Ghana to make a paradigm shift in its approach to teaching and learning by innovating materials that allowed the children right from the basic school level to engage more in practical exercises rather than theories.
“The reality of developing countries like Ghana is that the very approach that our forefathers used to teach us created the challenges we have today and if we are going to continue like this we will be piling up the problems,” he said.
Speaking at the graduation ceremony of 19 basic three pupils of the Holy Family Educational Foundation, a private school in Bolgatanga, Mr Asiah commended the government for introducing and encouraging the study of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) courses and programmes.
The Director explained that the Holy Family Educational Foundation, established in 2022, was determined to be a leading institution of academic excellence and preferred basic school that produced problem solving citizens.
To this end, he said, the school had prioritised the provision of quality tuition that ensured disciplined and hard work as well as moral values that help children to fit well into society and contribute significantly to its development.
He said the school had prioritised the welfare and practical understanding of the pupils that allowed them to think outside the box to resolve challenges.
“We believe in activity based learning approach. This means that the children are not just listeners or recipients but they are the centre of teaching and learning and we involve them in a lot of activities,” he said.
Mr Asiah noted that model used to transform the pupils were aligned with those employed in developed countries such as China and Japan, among others, to build the foundation of the children for sustainable development.
Apart from academics, the Director noted that the school had been committed to the training of students to be nationalistic and patriotic to ensure they contributed to the growth of their communities and country.
He said the school was also inclusive with special attention paid to children with special needs, adding that the payment mode of the school fees was flexible, stressing that the school absorbed part of the fees of children from vulnerable homes.
He encouraged the public to enrol their children into the school for better academic performance and holistic transformation.
Mr Charles Atakibire Ateem, Bolgatanga Municipal Chairman of the Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT), commended the school for prioritising character development of the pupils and added that it would empower them to become good and responsible citizens in future.
Ms Lamisi Agou, a parent, noted that her child’s academic performance since her admission into the school had improved, adding “the teachers have time for the children and that has helped my child a lot”.
GNA